


White Gives Way To Red

by LaffeeTaffee



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Conversations, Could be a totally heterosexual conversation, Dialogue, Ezio is too distracted to hear it, Fluff, Leonardo is trying to say he's in love, M/M, Reading Between The Lines, but it's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23350480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaffeeTaffee/pseuds/LaffeeTaffee
Summary: Killing is only a small matter when it is for the greater good of mankind. It brings with it its own host of issues; deceit, isolation, secrets, and doubt among them. That is the true cost of being an assassin. Those rules don't apply in Monteriggioni at the top of the villa where Leonardo and Ezio risk being just men for a single night. Men trying to understand their place in the world, and if there's something greater than the good that the assassins live and die for.
Relationships: Ezio Auditore da Firenze/Leonardo da Vinci
Comments: 5
Kudos: 49





	White Gives Way To Red

Everything was silvery blue, bleached by the light of the moon as it rivaled with the stars over the Monteriggioni citiscape. Ghosts of rooftops, trees and stone walls were divided by rivers of black shadow, except the main roads which were patterned with lanternlight. It was impossible to tell where the bell tower rang in the city from the top of the villa as the clanging rang off each wall of the small town, lying about its position. Figures walked in groups along the roads, some of them in shadows while others glowed in the light of their raised lanterns. Their chatter was easier to pinpoint, and the shrill voice of a young woman rang out, finding its way through the window of the topmost room in the villa.

“Ezio!” A broken red rose flew through the open frame and landed on the rug. “ _ Ezio, mio amore! _ ” The sound of something hard hitting the wall caused Ezio and Leonardo to look up from the codex page they had been bent over. Ezio couldn’t hide the smirk on his unshaven face, and he strode quickly to the window and leaned out.

“ _ Carlotta donna sciocca! _ Are you laying siege to my uncle’s villa?” He had to brush his black hair from his face as he gazed down at Carlotta smiling up at him, her low dress betraying the protection of her round breasts. Carlotta pinched a small rock in her fingers and tossed it over her shoulder.

“Don’t think you can ignore me, Ezio,” said Carlotta. She put her hands on her hips and shifted to one side. “You haven’t forgotten your promise to me?”

“That I would come whenever you have need of me?” Ezio laughed. “Why don’t you come to my rescue once in a while?”

“Don’t tease me.” Carlotta pointed a polished finger at him. “Since when does Ezio Auditore need rescuing?”

Leonardo appeared and gazed over the rail, holding his red beret against his hair so it wouldn’t fall off. “Well, perhaps you can distinguish this symbol from the others I have interpreted, since I have heard that the eyes of a woman can─” he nearly dropped the codex page he had been unrolling out the window. Ezio quickly snatched the runaway scroll and handed it to Leonardo, raising his eyebrow but smiling all the same. Carlotta puckered her lips and stuck her pink tongue at them, marching away into the shadows.

As Leonardo hastily rolled up the codex page, Ezio shook his head sadly. “You really don’t understand women, do you Leonardo?”

Leonardo gripped the scroll. “ _ Di niente, Ezio _ . Of course I understand them! They are truly marvelous creatures. I only meant to lend a hand.”

Ezio rested his elbows against the rail and leaned forward. “Quite an unusual way of lending a hand.” He touched his fingers together, and pursed his scarred mouth. The air grew thick as they each felt the familiar unease. “You realize she would have come to my room had I but made a gesture?”

“Absolutely,  _ mio amico _ ,” said Leonardo. He gazed at Ezio framed white in the darkness. His chest tightened and he sighed. “I… am sorry. I will leave if you want me to.” He motioned to the ladder. Ezio didn’t look up. He continued to press his fingers together and breathed deeply. Leonardo stood frozen for a moment, waiting for Ezio to reply. After a few moments, Leonardo bowed his head in resignation. It was too late for hiding. He stepped forward against the warm night air and rested his elbows on the rail next to Ezio, taking care not to touch him. For a while, neither of them spoke.

Finally Ezio turned to him. “How long ago was it you came to Firenze and my mother introduced us?”

Leonardo opened his mouth slightly as he thought. “Ah… it was right after I became an apprentice to Andrea di Cione. That was seven years ago.”

“Seven years.” Ezio raised his head against his folded white hood. “Seven years we have been friends. And yet you still have no interest in women?”

Leonardo furrowed his eyebrows at him. “I didn’t say I had no interest in women.” Ezio stared at him, his black eyes shining knowingly. Leonardo’s mouth parted into a guilty smile. “I said I have no  _ desire _ for women.”

Ezio waved his hands. “No desire. Still no desire.” He gazed over the rooftops and sighed. Leonardo shifted uncomfortably. Neither had expected Leonardo to reveal that personal secret when they hid together in the Florentine brothel five years previously. Francesca leaned against Leonardo and pressed her red lips against his ear, muttering scandalous plans, only to be pushed aside with a smile from Leonardo and a friendly but blank goodbye. Didn’t he like Francesca?  _ Like? _ Leonardo crossed his arms over his chest.  _ It is not that I do not like her. I simply have no desire. _

But that was five years in the past. And much had happened since then. Ezio traced the assassin’s dagger-like symbol on his brace, barely making out his reflection in the glinting moonlight. “Every man desires something.”

“If you’re asking if I experience sexual incompetence─” Leonardo stopped as Ezio groaned.

“ _ Cristo _ , that is not what I’m asking at all.”

“Well.” Leonardo paused, shifting the codex page from hand to hand. He and Ezio looked in opposite directions. “Then you’re right. Every man desires something.”

Neither of them spoke as the town underneath them moved with the bodies of shadowy people. The darkness spread and gave way to shapes as clouds moved overhead. Ezio looked at Leonardo as Leonardo gazed at the city. Leonardo’s eyes shone bright blue against his parted sandy brown hair, and a small smile played inside the border of his fine facial hair. Leonardo was in no way unattractive to women, yet he was blocked. And he didn’t care.

Still, it had surprised them both when Leonardo offered a hug to Ezio in Venice before they parted ways, and Leonardo’s face was scarlet red before he disappeared behind the wooden door of his workshop. It was obvious then that Leonardo was hiding more than a simple disregard for intimacy.

Ezio breathed slowly through his mouth. “It must be difficult.” Leonardo stopped passing the codex. “To not desire women, I mean,” Ezio continued. “I would expect it to be difficult.”

“It is not as terrible as it seems,” said Leonardo, his voice brighter than either of them expected. “Sex, as you might disagree with me, is not a vital element of life.”

“Why this assumption that I only regard women for sex?” Ezio ran his fingers through his dark hair and slouched. “You should know, I have been dealt a hand by many women, and been saved by women as well. You remember Paola.” He gripped his assassin’s brace. “Gave me asylum after my  _ padre _ was killed, and granted me safety among her girls so that I could contact you again.”

“ _ Si _ ,” said Leonardo as though resigning to agreement. He glanced sideways at Ezio. “But you also slept with her.”

“That...” Ezio turned to him and pointed a finger. “...was after.”

Leonardo nodded without looking at Ezio. He gripped the rail and stared down into the shadows. “Tell me, Ezio.” Leonardo turned and gave him a scrutinizing look, yet still smiled. “Have you ever felt a strong desire to be close to someone? Close but not intimate?”

Ezio stared at him. “ _ Si? _ ”

Leonardo sighed. “With women, I mean. Have you ever felt a need to…” Leonardo splayed his hands, struggling to find the right words. “... have you ever wanted to be important to a woman? To change her life and let her change yours?”

“Well.” Ezio straightened up and put his shoulders back. “I would be surprised if a woman was ever the same after having sex with me.” He couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.

Leonardo let out a long breath and hunched, resting his arms on the rail. “ _ Per l’amor di Dio _ .” He waited for Ezio’s silent laughter to calm and tried to keep his face hidden as Ezio leaned against the rail again. They were quiet for a moment, and Ezio felt the weight sink on his shoulders. “Have you ever been in love?” said Leonardo in a low voice.

Ezio immediately opened his mouth for a quick answer. He looked at Leonardo who hadn’t moved, and made a sound but found himself stuck. He was shocked at his own silence. He ticked off his fingers and muttered under his breath, but after a few moments, he let his hands rest.

“I suppose...” said Ezio slowly, trying and failing to sound as though he still had the upper hand. “Perhaps not  _ in _ love.”

Leonardo narrowed his eyes in the failing light. “Seven years, Ezio. Seven years we have been friends. And still you have never been in love with a woman.”

Ezio waved his hand. “ _ Non e la stessa. _ That is not the same and you know it.”

“Perhaps it isn’t.” Leonardo turned slightly to him. “And perhaps it is not as terrible as it sounds?” Though he tried to hide it, Leonardo’s face was suddenly aged. His eyes were wide and his smile gone. Ezio gazed at a man who was empty and longing, and felt as though he were looking in a mirror.

He moved closer to Leonardo under the umbrella of confession and doubt, and waited a few moments. “How do you know,” said Ezio, “if another man… you know.”

Leonardo’s weak smile returned. “I don’t.” He clasped his hands together, strength returning. “But very rarely do I pursue those intentions. As you said, it is difficult.”

“Have you ever?” said Ezio, looking past him as though concentrating on something else.

Leonardo nodded. “Once, when I was living with my  _ padre _ . I was friends with the servant boy who taught me how to sketch. He…” Leonardo gripped his hands hard. “He no longer spoke to me.” For a moment, they were quiet, and Leonardo noticed Ezio gazing at him. “That is not to say I haven’t been involved,” Leonardo added almost proudly. “I have my resources.”

Ezio sighed. “I wonder if I have been abusing mine.” He watched a group of laughing courtesans pass between two buildings and fade into the shadow. The moon had begun to sink lower in the dark sky, surrendering control to the stars. In the distance, the bell tower rang once, but its echo travelled back and forth, feigning six or seven tolls.

“One must satisfy one’s desires,” said Leonardo. “If not in the way one wants then in the way one is forced.”

A small smile spread across Ezio’s face. “True.” His smile faded and he looked at Leonardo. “But I suppose it would be easier for one to fulfill desires that are not already betrayed by bad experiences.”

Leonardo pursed his lips and shook his head. “I have learned to accept the loneliness that comes with such rejection. As I suppose one must when they are rejected by a beautiful woman.” He glanced at the floor, and quickly bent down. When he stood up, he held the broken rose in his fingers. He twirled it and the rose limped from side to side, dropping a few of its blood-red petals. “One must learn to dislocate themselves, if they wish to remain near those they love.”

Ezio watched the rose, entranced. Leonardo let the rose petals fall through his fingers as if willing them all to fall.

“Are you, Leonardo,” said Ezio, taking his eyes off the rose. “Dislocated?”

Leonardo looked up at him, and in that moment of silence, their eyes locked. Neither of them spoke, but Leonardo’s gaze grew strong. Ezio stared back, and suddenly it became clear. His narrowed expression lightened as if he were seeing Leonardo for the first time. The rose petals stopped falling, and for a while the last of the night-goers and moonlit buildings of Monteriggioni seemed not to exist.

Leonardo breathed in slowly. “Every day, Ezio.” He lowered the rose over the rail and it fell, spinning into darkness. “Every day.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this little piece in college after I read Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and fell in love with dialogue. It's a wild card. It pulls the reader to the surface but also allows you to make inferences as if you're above water, looking down below. This was back when I was too squeamish to write any kind of physical romance, so I was squinting my eyes really hard, trying to imply that this was a love story between Leonardo and Ezio while still having the excuse to say "I don't know what you're reading but this is just two dudes having a totally normal conversation."


End file.
